I have yet to meet a human who does not have at least a few regrets—things in their history that if they win they could undo—it is part of being human to fail at times. I understand those who act in regrettable ways and then feel remorse when they realize the pain they have caused others. What I find more difficult to understand are those who intentionally make plans to act in ways that will hurt others. In Continue reading →

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Many years ago I had the opportunity to work on a road building crew. My position was that of the “dump man”, which required that I was to oversee and instruct that gravel truck drivers where and how thick or thin to dump their loads. As I began to become acquainted with the drivers it became apparent to me that some of them had a rather limited vocabulary. One in particular seemed to be unable to put a Continue reading →

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My wife’s mother came from a fairly wealthy family. When her parents passed away, her father had left a will, however, there was apparently some disagreement over how the inheritance was to be distributed. By the time the dust had settled, several of her siblings had taken the family to court and had the will broken in order to get what they had determined was their share of the inheritance. The turmoil, grief and Continue reading →

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Choosing sides is something we learn to do quite early in life. When I was in elementary school, we would often choose sides to play pick up games of baseball or football. Two captains would be chosen/elected by the group, who would then take turns choosing team mates from the group until everyone had been selected.
Later in life—if one lives in a democratic society—sides are chosen by secret ballot during elections. In tribal societies sides are determined by which tribe one is born into. Most often the choosing of sides results in winners and losers. Today’s proverb highlights the contrast between good and evil, and how God responds to the choices we make.

25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud,
but he protects the property of widows.
26 The Lord detests evil plans,
but he delights in pure words.

Proverbs 15:25–26 (NLT)

There is something about pride that seems to be particularly abhorrent to God. I suspect it is that pride tends to be found at the root of most rebellion and sin. Pride is also a natural human tendency—one that we must learn to overcome when we choose to follow Jesus. I would not suggest that pride is the only vice that we must choose to let go of, however, I believe it is found at the root of many of the vices that seek to enslave us. Jesus came to set us free from that bondage, to be able to live in the freedom to follow Him. This is perhaps the most important choice we can make in terms of selecting which side we will choose to be on. Will it be the Jesus side, where freedom reigns? Or will we choose to allow our pride to keep us enslaved to our favorite vices?

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Anytime we step into an elevator we have to choose to either travel up or down depending upon where it is you want to go. Some some of us choose up—others choose down. Life has some similarities to an elevator in that way. We all are born into it, and as we face the various experiences that we encounter in our journey we make choices. Sometimes we choose to go up, and sometimes we choose to go down. Continue reading →

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In the Peanuts comic strip Lucy sometimes seen offering advice for five cents. Exactly how valuable her advice turns out to be seems to vary depending on who she is giving it to. To me it is surprising that anyone would pay her for her advice since what she offers is often available for nothing from most random strangers. In today’s proverb we are reminded that more advice is rarely harmful if one can sift Continue reading →

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As a parent it is my desire to see my children grow up to be healthy, happy adults who contribute in some way to the betterment of society. I have yet to meet a parent that does not what the best for their children. We want our offspring to learn how to make wise choices, and to stay on the right path throughout their lives. In today’s Continue reading →

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Anyone who has camped or lived in the more rural parts of the Midwest has likely discovered rather quickly that if one does not properly dispose of—and lock down—trash bags the trash pandas will find their way into it and make a mess of things during the wee hours of the night. It’s not that these critters don’t have plenty of nuts and berries to eat out in the woods, it is rather that they have developed an appetite Continue reading →

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The Dented Knight writes here…

Peter Enns (aka - The Dented Knight) is a native of rural southern Manitoba, Canada. He is an ordained minister, the proprietor of LNE Web Services, father of four, grandfather of two, and life long husband of one.